I'm like you - never did master peeling a potato with a knife. I do use a knife to peel an apple.
Gillian
Peeling Carrots
- Thread starter larry_stewart
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I'm like you - never did master peeling a potato with a knife. I do use a knife to peel an apple.
Gillian
Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
There are a few things I can peel with a knife, carrots by scratching them, also parsnips, melons, winter squash, cheese rind, citrus fruit, and I think that's about it. Every other thing that has to be peeled is done with a veggie peeler.
Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
I've never heard of peeling an onion with a peeler. I generally manage to pull the layers of skin off. For convenience I use baby potatoes, which I don't peel - leaves the saucepan so much easier to clean in addition to the all-important time factor. I was going to say I'd never heard of peeling cucumbers but I suppose you'd have to peel them for using with a dip at a buffet.
Gillian
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larry_stewart
Master Chef
One of the dumbest things Heard about peeling carrots, we went to a food festival and Robert Irvine did a Demo. I like the guy and find him entertaining so I attended the demo. The first thing he said was that he is going to teach us the easiest way to peel a carrot an once we learn this, we will never peel them the old way again. Bottom line is he brings a pot of water up to boil, blanches the carrots, then basically rubs the outer blanched portion off.
Did it work, yes. Would it be a good idea for a restaurant where they may have to peel 100 carrots, possibly. Is it practical for the home chef to peel a few carrots for dinner, No sir. Even if peeling 100 carrots, by the time you get the pot, fill it with water, get it to boil, dump the carrots in, let them blanch, cool them... You could have had a decent percentage peeled already. Peeling tomatoes, absolutely, carrots, naah.
Did it work, yes. Would it be a good idea for a restaurant where they may have to peel 100 carrots, possibly. Is it practical for the home chef to peel a few carrots for dinner, No sir. Even if peeling 100 carrots, by the time you get the pot, fill it with water, get it to boil, dump the carrots in, let them blanch, cool them... You could have had a decent percentage peeled already. Peeling tomatoes, absolutely, carrots, naah.
You live in the UK, don't you? Have you ever seen what the most common cucumbers are like in North America? Compared with what we call "English cucumbers", they are thicker skinned, have much larger seeds, and are shorter.
GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
I think peeling cucumbers is going out of style. Most of the ones I've seen in restaurants and at neighborhood potlucks are not peeled.
Vinylhanger
Sous Chef
I don't think I've ever peeled a cucumber.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
Interesting. I always peel a cucumber.
Vinylhanger
Sous Chef
If we grill it we leave the peels on, if it is for vinegar and onion cucumbers, we leave them on, sandwiches as well.
Don't like any soups whatsoever, so maybe they need peeled in soup?
Don't like any soups whatsoever, so maybe they need peeled in soup?
I really think it depends on the type of cucumber and personal taste.
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larry_stewart
Master Chef
I peel the larger darker waxy cucumbers, dont peel the pickling/ Kirby cukes or the ones with the lighter thinner skin ( although my wife prefers any cucumber. to be peeled).
For me - Store bought ones I peel, specially if they have a waxy skin. Fresh from the garden or the farmer's market not at all. But for DH I peel them all the time.
Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
Who'd of thunk you could get three pages of posts out of the subject - How To Peel Carrots? 
DC is a truly special place.
Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
DC is a truly special place.Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
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larry_stewart
Master Chef
Who'd of thunk you could get three pages of posts out of the subject - How To Peel Carrots?
Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
Filled with a bunch of special people
GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
Well, it did veer off into peeling cucumbers
Just a small tangent. At least we did not veer off into the best way to peel a hard boiled egg.
I didn't, nope it wasn't me...
I didn't, nope it wasn't me...
GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
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larry_stewart
Master Chef
Peeling fresh laid hard boiled eggs is a real treat , now that you mentioned it. Ive tried all suggestions, and they work sometimes, but not consistently. Never tried a vegetable peeler on an egg though 
Ive tried all suggestions, and they work sometimes, but not consistently. Never tried a vegetable peeler on an egg though
Well, we haven't touched on peeling beets yet. My preferred method is to boil the beets and plunge them into ice water. Then, I rub off the peel.
Couldn't be bothered with all that hassle.
